Loading and unloading apparatus



- March 20, 1945.

v. E. HAMILTON, JR

LOADING AND UNLOADING APPARATUS Filed April 9, 1943 SSheets-Sheet l Inventor y and March 20, 1945.

V. E. HAMILTON, JR LOADING AND UNLOADI NG APPARATUS Filed April 9, 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 N QMVWW Inventor Vii/Mm ZV/awzZ'za B Q m March 1945- v. E. HAMILTON. Jh

4 LOADING AND UNLOADING ABPARATUS Filed A ril 9, 1943 3 Sheets-Shet s inventor I Patented Mar. 20, 1945 7 2,371,887 p e LOADINGAND UNLoAmNo APPARATUS i Vivian Earle Hamilton, Jr'., Shreveport, La. I I Application April 9, 194a, S erialNo. 482,431

Q 2 Claims. (Cl.2 14 38)' My invention relates to improvements in load- =ing and unloading apparatus I for automotive trucks, the principal object in View being to provide simply constructed means adapted for ."installation on the beds of a pair of truck bodies as permanent equipment, and which" is easily operative by the usual winches with which such trucks are provided to unload from the truck and 'load'thereon such freight as heavy pipe sections an with safety to operators of the apparatus.

-Other and subordinate objects are also comprehended by my invention, -all of which, together with the precise nature of my improve- 'ments,- will be readily understood when the succeeding description and claims are read with f reference to the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification, -In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a 'view in side elevation illustrating "diagrammatically a pair of automotive trucks equipped with my improved apparatus conditioned for unloading, or loading, one of the trucks, ---Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of one of the trucks equipped with my improved apparatus-and drawn to an enlarged scale,

Figure 3 is a view in transverse section taken on the line 33 of Figure 2,

5 Figure ris a detail view in side elevation of one of the clamps' drawn to an enlarged scale,

Figure5 is a detail view in side elevation drawn *t'of a-further' enlarged scale and illustrating the apparatus conditioned for elevating the shaft of one'of the hoisting units,

f Figure 6 is a view partly in rear elevation and partly in' vertical section taken on the line 66 of Figure 5, and f v Figure 7 is a fragmentary view in vertical section taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 2 and drawn to an enlarged scale.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, according to my invention a pair of automotive trucks I, 2 of the four-wheeled type and each including a trailer truck 3 connected to the truck proper by a reach pole 3' are equipped as follows:

Each truck carries a hoisting unit 4 directly in the rear of the usual cab 5. Each hoisting unit 4 comprises as its basic element a hollow cylindrical column 6 provided with a base flange I by 'means of which and bolts 8 the column is se- A pair of diametrically opposite slots II) are pro- 55 vided in each column 6 to extend from the base flange "I partly up opposite sides-of the column, respectively. Apair of horizontal axis pulleys II are provided on each columnG-upo'n opposite sides of the same and: adjacent the upper ends oftheslotslfl. A A a Vertically slid'able'in each column 6 is a preferably tubular shaft I2 adapted to normally rest at its lower end' On the bed of the truck and "provided at its upper end, above'thelevel of the top of the cab 5, with a right angled crane-form ing arm I3. Astop collar Id -is slidably mounted on'eachshaft I2torest on topof the column 5 for a purpose presently seen. The outer end of eachcrane arm I3 isprovided with" an underslung sheave I5 sw'iveled thereon as by the swivel mounting I6; A pairof diametricallyopposite apertures H are provided'in the lower end of each shaft I2 in registration with the slots Ill, and a similarlyiarranged pair of apertures I8 are also provided in the shaft above the apertures I7 and which are located so-"that whenthe apertures ll are'disposed adjacen'ttheupper ends of the slots ID, by elevation of the shaft I2, the apertures ill will be raised just above the stop collar I4 n said shaft. W v H;

' The described column 6, 'in'each instance; is arranged forwardly of theusual power-hoisting winch I9 with which such trucks are usually provided. The Winches I9,-according to my inve'nk tion, are designed to wind up and unwind opposite ends of a cable line '20 adapted to be trained upwardly from the Winches over the sheaves I5, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, and attached to'the winches, respectively, as by a ring 2| ona short cable line 22 attached to each winch I9 and one 'of which is shown in Figures 1 and 2.

A pair of short link cables, as at 23, is provided for each unit 4 for attachment at one end to the ring 2| of the short line 22 of the Winch I9 and training over the pulleys II, the other end of the lines 23 being equipped with hooks 24 for attaching in the apertures I! of the shaft 6.

A pair of U clamps 25 of a suitable type for straddling the edge of a pipe section at the ends thereof is provided for suspension from the cable line 20 between the hoisting units of the pair of trucks I, 2 when arranged as presently described. Each clamp 25 is provided with a' clamping bolt 26 and is swiveled, as at 21, in a sheave block 28 carrying a sheave 29 designed to ride on the cable line 20.

A pair of stop bolts, asat 30, is provided for insertion in the apertures I8 of the shafts I2, re-

spectively, in a manner and for a purpose presently clear.

Each crane arm I3 is equipped on top thereof with an end U bolt 3| for attachment of one end of the cable line thereto as occasion may require. Referring now to the use and operation of the invention, in unloading one of the pairs of trucks I, 2, loaded with pipe sections, as at 33, the trucks of said pair are parked in line a suitable distance apart to-provide for lowering the pipe sections therebetween. Preferably, the truck, jfor instance, l, to be unloaded is arranged ahead of the other truck 2 with said other truck arranged head-on behind the truck l. The pairs of cables 22 are hooked up to the short-linesfl of the winches l9 and to the lower ends of the shafts l2 in the manner already described, and the winches l9 operated to elevatethefshatts t2 until the hooks 24 are close to the upper ends of the slots 10 of the columns 6. At this point in "the elevation of the shafts t2, the apertures I 8 will be raised just above the-collars N. The winches 19 are then-stopped and the bolts 30 inserted through the pairs of apertures 18 to :bear against the collars l4 and thereby maintain the shafts 42 elevated. The short lines 23 are then detached from the short lines 2-2. The cable line 20 is next trained over the sheave l5 of the unit 4 associated with the truck, designated I in this instance, to be unloaded, and one end'thereof attached to the short-line 22'of the winch 49 of said truck. With the described clamps 25'strung "on the line 20 between the units 4 of thetr-ucks I, 2, the other end of said line 1-0 is attached to the -U bolt 3i of the crane arm 13 of the other truck '2 and with the shaft 12 of said last imit turned in the column 6 to project the crane arm forwardly overthe-cab -5 for reasons which will be clear. The pair of clamps 25 are next attached, in a manner which will now-be understood, to the opposite ends of asection 33 of the pipe. The section of 'pipe'may then be -li*fted oif the truck I by operation of the winch 1-9 of the truck, shoved along the cable-20 by means of the sheaves-29 into apos'ition intermediate the pair of trucks l, 2, and then lowered to the ground, or other support, by operation of the -;part a clear understanding of my invention without (further explanation.

Manifestly, the invention, as described, is susceptible of modification without departing from ed to be disposed in spaced-apart relation, an extensible upright shaft mounted on each of said trucks, a sheave on the upper end of each shaft, cable means on each truck for adjusting-the ex- 10 tensibleshatt upwardly, apower on each truck tor operatin said .c'able means, a suspension cable having one end anchored to the upper .end of one shaft with its opposite end extending over the sheave on the other shaft, a clamp haviin'g apulley riding on said suspension cable be- .tween said sheave and said anchored end for elevatin'g 'a loadfrom said truck when the suspension =cable :is slackened and subsequently tensioned, said clamp being adapted to travel along said -suspension cable when the suspension cable is inclined between :said sheave and its anchored end, and means to connect said winch to said cable means and to said opposite'end of saidwsuspension cable, selectively, for-adjusting'the adjustable shatt to :inclinesaid suspension cable, and .for efiecting the required .slack and tension in ithe suspension-cable at will.

2. Thecombination with a pairof trucks adapted to be disposed in spaced-apart re1ation,--an;extensible upright shaft mounted on each of :said trucks, a sheave on the upper end of each shaft, cable means on eachtruck for adjusting the extensible shaft upwardlyapower winch on each truck :for operating said cable means, a suspension cable having one end anchored to-the upper end of one shaft with its-opposite end extending over the sheave onthe other shaft, a clamp having a pulley riding on said suspension cable :between said sheave and-said anchored end-forelevating a load from said truck when'the suspension cable is s'lackened and subsequently tensioned, said clamp being adapted totravel along said suspension cable when the suspension cable is inclined between said sheave and its anchored end, and means to connectsaid Winch to said ca- .ble means and to said opposite end of saidssuspension cable, selectively, .for adjusting the'adviustable shaft to inclinesaid suspension cable, and "for effecting the required slack andtension in the suspension cable at will, the mounting for each extensibleshaft including :a hollow column in which the extensible shaft is endwisesl'idable, and having longitudinal slots therein, saidcable means including pulleys on said column .andcaP 'b'lestrained over said pulleys andconnectedto said extensible shaft through said slots.

VIVIAN EARLE JR. 

